Episode 14: Road To Alpha Site

Episode 14: 

THE ROAD TO ALPHA SITE

“Your little project got screwed up in the head, Doc. Something activated her early.”

Carlos Santini threw off the leather jacket he had been wearing and donned a lab coat. He slipped on a pair of glasses he found deep inside the left pocket. It made Carlos look like a completely different man.

“That’s a big problem," Josh said. "If Mrs. Raines-Ambrose discovers the slip, we’ll all be given our walking papers.”

“Don’t get so dramatic, Josh. If they tried to get rid of us, the clean up would be a lot messier than this. If I were Michela, I would be a lot more worried.”

***

He reared back as the rifle was stuck in his face. Matt wasn’t sure who would be lurking outside a secret government facility on the outskirts of the Gateway City. Reese cowered in the back seat trying her best to put her body between the front seat and Michela. Even though she wasn’t completely on board with his scheme, she was willing to protect Michela with her life.

Matt grabbed the assailant’s gun and pulled it as far into the car as he could to throw their adversary off balance. The shadowy figure was taken by surprise and released the gun. Matt threw it into the floorboard of the passenger seat while the man’s skull cracked on the roof of the vehicle.

“Ow! Ow!” The man dramatically stumbled backward. “Whoever you are,” he said uneasily. “You need to go. Just go as fast as you can away from here.” He waved his hand in a large sweeping arc in the direction of town.

A curious expression overcame Matt’s face.

“Wait a minute,” he said, stepping out of the vehicle. “I know that voice.”

Matt grabbed the hood of the shadow man’s jacket and pulled it off his head.

“Hey! Watch it.” The man wriggled to get away from Matt but he wasn’t successful.

“I knew it.” Matt bent down and looked into the car. Reese stared back at him quizzically. “It’s Hank Carter.”

Reese sighed with relief. “Hank? I didn’t know he even owned a gun. I thought he was against them.”

“I’m not against them, per say. I just aggressively dislike them. But if one can keep me safe, I’m all for that.” Hank held the gun to his chest like a woman would a baby, except that this baby was built for protection.

Hank peered into the car. “Where’d you get the transportation? Do you even know how to drive?”

“Of course I can drive. I’ve had simulations,” Matt replied. “It’s as easy as riding a bike.”

“Which, of course, you haven’t done either.” Hank was quick with the smarty-pants come backs.

It took a moment before Hank got a good look at the woman lying in the back seat.

“Is that? Oh, my God, it can’t be.”

“It is.” Matt said. “It’s my mother.”

---

THE MYSTERY INSIDE OF ALPHA SITE IS JUST BEGINNING...
KEEP READING FOR MORE EXCITING ADVENTURES!

Lucky Faraday and Piper made their way to the hallway outside where Quentin and the kidnappers were. His boss, Harry, wouldn’t be too keen on yet another John Wayne tactic but he had to do what he had to do.

“Shouldn’t we wait for backup?” Piper Ferguson asked. “I know you cop-types are so adamant about back up.”

“There’s a circus outside. They should have the building surrounded by now.” Lucky said although he wasn’t counting on Gateway City’s finest to get him out of his current jam.

“Should? They *should* be able to handle it? What has happened to the police protection in this city?”

“I’m sure it’s a lot like other jobs,” said Lucky, peeking through the window where Caine and Roanna were tied up. “They spend more time playing solitaire than doing their job.” He motioned to the door. “They’re inside.”

“What about the perps?” Piper asked.

“Room looks clear but keep your eyes open.” The two of them burst through the door aiming their guns around the room. All that the two discovered inside were two people tied to chairs.

“How in the hell did they get away?” Lucky muttered.

“Uh. Lucky?” Piper said. “I think we have bigger problems than a missing gang of thugs.”

Lucky joined her near where Caine and Roanna were passed out. Sitting on the table in front of them was a very tiny looking device that was counting down the seconds.

“A bomb. We’ve got to get them out of here.” Lucky knew they didn’t have enough time to exit the building. “We’re going to have to drag them as far away from the blast area as possible.”

“You’re not going to try and defuse it?” Piper said with a smirk.

“Who do you think I am? MacGyver? I leave that crap to the professionals.”

They had only begun to move the bodies of Caine and Roanna when the alarm on the device rang. They cringed anticipating the impact but nothing came. Suddenly the device trembled and a flag jumped up. It said. “Boom.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Piper muttered.

“Looks like we’ve got a joker on our hands. Let’s get them out of here before it tries to do something more than scare us.”

***

“Technically, she’s no one’s mother. But we don’t need to get into that messy paradox. Younger than you. Bred for a purpose. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I worked on the beginning stages of the project design, the basic structure of the model, you know -- before.”

Hank whistled. “I don’t think I’d be walking around with a Gamma 5 Series unless I knew exactly why she was created.. Otherwise, you’d never know when she might ‘go off.’

“She’s going to explode?” Reese asked, inching backward away from Michela.

“Of course she’s not going to explode, but she has some complex programming going on in her brain. Only a certain sequence of events will trigger her ‘mission.’ That is, unless he’s had some sort of cranial damage or a programming glitch that causes her brain to shut down. That would warrant an immediate recall.”

“She does have a big bruise on her forehead,” Reese replied.

“That’s not a good sign. Can you get rid of her?” Hank asked.

“I’m not getting rid of her,” Matt insisted. “She’s my mother.”

“Oh, all right. You can keep her,” Hank said. “Just leave me out of it.”

Reese glanced at her watch. “Matt, we have twenty minutes until bed check. We have to get back if you want to find out more about your mother.”

Matt glanced uneasily at Reese. He didn’t want to go back. It may have been the only place he’d ever known, but he wanted a life on the outside, beyond the reach of Alpha Site.

“She’s right,” Hank agreed. “You’ve got to get back in there if you ever want to find out who you really are.”

“What about Michela?” Matt said. “I can’t take her back in there. I don’t trust them.”

“Don’t look at me,” Hank said backing away from Matt.

“But you used to work on her project,” Matt said. “If she’s broken, you can fix her.”

Hank sighed. “it’s not like fixing a toaster. Her parts aren’t the most readily available.”

“You can’t help her?” Matt’s frown deepened.

“Of course I can help her. I still have a few friends in the business. I might be able to get the equipment I need.”

“Ten minutes,” Reese called out. “It’s either now or never.”

Matt grabbed Reese’s hand. “We have to go.”

As the two trotted off toward Alpha Site, HanK had a sudden realization.

“Hey -- what about the car?” Hank sighed, then muttered to himself. "Take care of the woman, ditch the car. Why is this suddenly all *my* responsibility?"

***

Stone hated leaving Mila alone at his house but he wanted to check on Honor. He may have only been her next door neighbor but since he was the one who found her sprawled at the bottom of the stairs he felt more than a little responsible for her. Visiting hours were over but he ignored the sign. It wasn't like he was one who was used to following the rules.

His cell rang while he was in the elevator. The mini-screen indicated it was Joe the Bluesman. He was the grounds keeper of the Ambrose Estate in England.

“Hey, Blue. What’s going on?”

“Mrs. Raines-Ambrose has closed up the London mansion. She’s returned to your neck of the woods. You know the woods I mean? The ones way on the outskirts of town that don’t really exist.”

Stone sighed. “Why can’t that woman leave the past alone?”

“We knew she’d resurface sooner or later,” Blue said.

“That means those non-existent woods you were taking about were never completely cleared.”

“They probably just covered them with sod hoping the trees would re-root at another time. That time, it seems, is now.”

“Dammit,” Stone cursed. “I thought I was out of this shit.”

“Shit follows you wherever you go, man,” Blue chuckled.

“I’ll be there in a day to help with the follow up. How’s our little Mila?” Blue asked.

“Shaken. Nearly got mugged at the airport. She’s safe, though.”

“You’ve got to keep that gem wrapped up tight, Stone. Even she doesn’t know what she is.”

“Don’t’ remind me. You don’t think I feel bad enough?”

Stone paused as the doors to the elevator opened.

“I’ve got to go. I’m visiting a friend in the hospital. See you when you get here.”

“Keep safe,” Blue said.

“Always am, Blue. Always am.”

Stone rounded the corner and found the room where Honor was staying. He slipped quietly inside hoping not to disturb the man lying in the bed next to her.

"Don't bother," said a weary voice from the darkness. The man in the next bed wasn't asleep after all.

"What's that?" Stone asked.

"She's long gone. Sprung her an hour ago."

"Gone? Who sprung her?" Stone didn't have a good feeling about this.

"It was that doctor. Young, good looking. Said his name was McRae. She still looked pretty banged up to me. But who I am to question the ethics of a doctor? Ya know?"

"Lucky isn't going to like this one bit," Stone muttered to himself.

***

While Mila played on her new laptop computer, a present from Stone, she observed someone outside her window. The man looked vaguely familiar. She'd seen him in England a year ago as a guest of Mrs. Raines-Ambrose. So when the knock came at the door, she didn't hesistate to answer since she was familiar with the person standing on the other side. She knew Stone wouldn't appreciate her ignoring the orders he'd given her, but she thought the order only applied to strangers.

When she opened the door, a familiar face greeted her.

"Austin. It's so nice to see you."

Episode 13: Mysterious Son

EPISODE 13: 

MYSTERIOUS SON

"What guy?" Matt said slipping a glance out the back window.

The night was dark. Michela Forsythe laid on the ground as rain lightly tapped on her skin. Her eyes blinked open and stared up at the canopy of trees above her. Lightning flashed sideways across the sky, and she barely flinched as the thunder boomed seconds later.

She tried to move -- tried to sit up but her eyes rolled back into her head. She collapsed back onto the soft grass, her head lightly thudding on a mound of dirt.

A loud noise cracked in the distance causing an adrenaline response in her chest. She shot upward. Her long wet hair slapped against her cheek. The weakness she'd felt moments earlier were temporarily gone. Her eyes assessed the situation. She was lying behind a parking structure next to a muddy dirt road. The road looked barely used. The backside of a skyscraper towered above her.

"You have to get up," a young man's voice said impatiently. He reached down to lift her to her feet, but Michela's weight sagged against him.

"I'm not feeling so well," she said.

Her head lolled against his shoulder. The young man looked back toward the building as if he was expecting someone to walk outside and catch him at any moment.

"Come on," he said to someone in the distance. "We have to get her out of here. It's not safe."

A young girl peeked out of the bushes. She was wet, rain dripping in her eyes. "You're crazy to come here. If they catch you, they're going to kill you."

"I know, but I can't leave her here not knowing the truth."

"The truth? Matt, you don't even know the truth," Reese told him.

"I may not know the truth but at least I know that something is going on. She's clueless. Look at her. Is this the woman you remember?"

Reese sighed. "Of course not. But Matt -- what are we going to do with her? We have to get back before someone realizes we're gone. It's crazy leaving the compound at night. If the guards find us gone, there's not telling what might happen.

"I have a friend on the other side of the compound. He'll help us." Matt's eyes were uncertain.

"You better hope he'll help us. If he doesn't, we're all screwed."

***

Austin McRae glanced down at Diana's sleeping form. She was going to be fine. He fingered her hair. She'd had it highlighted so it seemed almost blond on top but still dark beneath. It was the style now. He wasn't sure where these trends came from but on her they worked. He checked her chart one final time and decided he better make an appearance in his wife's room. Didn't want the hospital thinking he wasn't a devoted husband to Honor. It wouldn't do good to get the gossip mill turning.

His wife's room was one floor down. It took less than five minutes to get there but he dreaded every step. When he arrived there were people already in the room.

"Glad you could join us, McRae," said a skeptical male voice.

"Excuse me?" Austin said.

"Don't mind him," Glory said suddenly. "He's just miffed you weren't here earlier. You know, when they brought Honor in."

"I'm not my wife's personal physician. But I don't feel the need to explain why I've only now arrived to visit my wife. Is there a reason why I'm getting the third degree?"

Hope stood and crossed the room. She looked back at Honor's sleeping form. Her eyes for Austin were hard and cold.

"Your wife should be your first priority, Austin. Not something you put on your to do list."

Austin could feel the slightly hostile vibe emanating from all three of them. What had changed since yesterday when everything was normal? He weaved through the hostile threesome and made his way to Honor's bedside.

"What happened to her?" Austin asked, trying to appear unaware of the events that had transpired tonight.

"Like you don't know you -- you big jerk!" Glory's words came unexpectedly. She was going to have to work hard at winning back her trust. He needed to remain friends with her brother, Lucky. Having a source on the inside of the FBI was a valuable commodity to his other employers, the ones who had forced him to marry a woman he didn't love and now was having her exterminated. Deleted like a wayward file they wanted erased. If he didn't defuse the situation and do it quickly, the head honchos at Alpha Site would not be pleased.

"I'm sorry you feel I haven't been as attentive as I should have been to my wife, but I was assisting your brother with a situation at Anthony's. A group of men came in and shot up the place."

"I"m aware of the situation, Dr. McRae. The man those men took is my father."

"Which one are you? Caine or Peter?"

"Peter."

"Well, then, Peter. You may want to stop judging me and make an appearance in your own sister's hospital room. She's one floor up in Room 314." Austin felt smug dropping such a bomb on Peter Forsythe, but it made him feel a tiny bit better about his own situation.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your sister, from what I gather from the ER nurses, was in an elevator at ForeCross when the cables snapped. Sounds like a pretty nasty deal to me."

Peter stood immediately. "Is she alright? Why didn't anyone call me?"

"I'm sure the nurses are attempting to notify the family but you all seem a bit preoccupied with Quentin's kidnapping."

Peter turned to Hope. "Tell your sister I'll come back and see her later." He squeezed her hand, glared at Austin then left.

"Was it something I said?" Austin replied, managing not to chuckle.

"You're such an ass," Hope remarked. She'd never been Austin's biggest fan and he was losing points with her by the second.

"You've never had a high opinion of me, Hope. So why don't you drop the attitude and tell me what happened with my wife."

"She was home alone and someone broke into your house. They pushed her down the basement stairs. She's lucky to be alive."

"My God. How did that happen? We have a security system."

"Oh, like you don't know," Glory said suddenly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We know your dirty little secret. We know you want to kill our sister."

Austin couldn't have been more surprised if she'd slapped him.

***

Reese didn't know why she followed Matt tonight. Every time she broke the rules she always managed to get caught. Maybe with the special shindig at the Site, no one would notice either of them were missing. She checked her watch. The guard would be coming around in an hour and twenty minutes for a bed check.

"If we're not back for bed check, we'll be in solitary for the rest of our natural lives," Reese said.

"I'm not going back, Reese. Now that I've found her, I'm not going back there."

Matt somehow managed to drag Michela's body over to the car he'd borrowed from one of the medical staff. "Either help me or leave now."

Reese stamped her foot and then grunted. "Oh, all right. But if they kill us, it's all on your head."

The two of them carried Michela to the car. They could hear police radios echo through the bottom of the parking structure. Reese couldn't stop looking over her shoulder.

"You are so going to owe me for this."

Reese crawled into the back first so she could pull Michela's body across the seat. They nearly had her completely inside when a group of men burst out the back entrance. All were wearing dark clothes and hooting and hollering.

Matt jumped into the car and closed the door before the group could see them.

"I've seen that guy's picture," Reese whispered.

"The one with the gray hair. The one those two man are dragging to the van. I think he's Michela's father."

"What?" Matt focused in on the elderly gentleman. "I think you're right." He crawled into the front seat and slouched down until the men in black passed their car. "I'm going to follow them."

"What? No way, Matt! Those are some dangerous looking guys."

"You know we can handle ourselves," Matt said mysteriously.

"I know, but what's the point? You came to get her."

"I came to find my family, Reese and Quentin Forsythe is my family." Matt started the car and drove after the men holding his grandfather captive.

***

Lucky Faraday glanced around the hallway of ForeCross. "Where is she?" He lowered his weapon and stalked up and down the hallway. "She's gone."

Piper Ferguson tried to hide the smile hinting at the edges of her mouth. "In the scheme of things, I think she's the least of your problems."

"I know, but she's acting strangely. She's not herself."

"Not your problem at the moment. But the hostiles inside ForeCross, that's who you should be worried about," Piper said. "You were right about Roanna. She probably went gang-busters and got in over her head."

"With no prompting from you, I'm sure," Lucky snapped.

"Hey, she's a big girl. She's been making her own decisions for a long time now."

Piper pulled a security card from her back pocket. "This gives me access to any door in this building. What room did you say Carlos was hold up in?"

"Follow me."

***

Reese stared at the woman lying next to her in the back seat. She hadn't gotten a good look at her until now. Previously, she'd only heard Matt talk about her.

"Matt, I've seen this woman before."

"I told you. She's my mother." Matt followed Carlos' men as they drove a familiar path.

"No, I mean, I've seen her at Alpha Site. It was a long time ago, maybe two years, but it's definitely her."

"What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that if she's who I think she is, she couldn't technically be your mother."

"What?"

"She looks like your mother, has the same DNA as your mother, but she's not your mother." Reese moved the wet hair away from her neck. "She has the mark." She fingered the strangely shaped 'A' she and Matt had come to know so completely since they had marks of their own.

"She's the plant?" Matt said skeptically. "No, no, she can't be." He stopped the car suddenly and the wheels skidded slightly on the gravel of the access road.

Reese looked out the window. She recognized the terrain.

Alpha Site.

The men they were following entered the outer gate of the facility.

"This is getting weirder by the minute," Reese whispered.

She barely had time to think a second thought when Matt's driver door came open and a rifle was thrust into his face by a shadowy man. He was wearing a hooded, black parka that dripped with rain.

"Don't move," the man said in a menacing voice. 

Episode 12: Cornered

EPISODE 12: 

CORNERED

Lucky Faraday studied Michela Forsythe as she held the gun on him. She seemed different than when he was with her earlier. Had something changed between now and then?

“What are you doing, Mike?” Lucky asked, holding his hands so she could see them.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” Her voice was different, more unfeeling than it had been earlier.

“It’s my job to be here.” Lucky waited for her to say something but she seemed to be internally wrestling with demons or whatever women mentally struggled with that made men crazy.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” she said again, the gun trembling in her hand. “I’ll shoot you if I have to.”

“Whoa!” Lucky psychologically stepped back. “Is this about what happened earlier, my kissing you?”

“I don’t know you,” she said, waving the gun awkwardly.

“What are you talking about, honey? We just met, remember? You threw a knife like a damned expert and scared the bloody shit out of me. You distracted Carlos then he got away.”

His words seemed to spook her.

“What? No. I would never do anything against Carlos.”

Lucky raised a curious eyebrow.

“Whatever you say, sister.”

Lucky could feel his cell phone vibrating. It had to be Harrison with an update on the situation. He couldn’t wait to throw around a few theories with him about this situation. But Lucky knew one thing for sure. He had to get Michela somewhere where she could get some help.

Her story about waking up six months ago in her room with no memory of the past four years was turning this into one curious situation.

From the corner of his eye he could see someone else had arrived on the floor he and Michela were on. He braced himself for the beginnings of a fight. The woman’s careful steps made no sound as she approached from behind Michela.

The mystery woman tapped her on the shoulder and Michela swung around, but not fast enough to see the punch landing square on her jaw. Michela staggered backward hitting her head against a cabinet and crumpling to the ground.

Lucky and the mystery woman paid no attention to her as they leveled their guns at each other.

***

Austin McRae raced to the hospital. He wanted to be there when Diana was admitted. It would give him an alibi for Honor’s accident.

He kept thinking about the strange bag lady and her curious curse. Her few words were spoken to make him reconsider his current path, but he knew he wouldn’t Dating and marrying Honor had been a mistake from the beginning The only marriages that worked out for him were the type that ended in a big payday and another dead wife.

Somehow he had let his feelings get the better of him. He wouldn’t make that mistake a second time.

When Austin entered the ER a nurse ran up to him.

“Dr. McRae, come quick. They just wheeled Dr. Forsythe in through admitting.”

Austin feigned surprise and sprang into action like he would were she any other patient.

***

Hope glanced over at Peter Forsythe while he drove them to the hospital. She didn’t know what was going on but this night had turned from one bizarre scenario into another.

“Thanks for picking us up,” Glory Faraday said cheerfully from the backseat. “I don’t what mess my sister has fallen into but I’ve had just about enough of it. I liked it better when she was the stable one and I was the crazy one. She just can’t go around changing her personality willy-nilly without some advanced warning. It just sends the whole family off balance.”

Peter raised an eyebrow at the way Glory was dressed. He could tell why she was considered the ‘wild one’ of the family. She looked like a loudly colored gypsy with her genie pants, large hoop earrings and wildly streaked hair.

“Glory, stop talking before Peter thinks everyone of us is a wacko like you,” Hope said.

“Too late,” Glory mocked. “First impressions are everything.”

“Ladies, I don’t think either of you is crazy -- a little odd, maybe, but definitely, not crazy.”

They arrived at the hospital just in time to hear every bell and whistle go off and everyone rushing off to one room. Peter approached the woman sitting at the reception desk.

“We’d like the room number for Honor McRae,” Peter asked.

The woman smiled, nodded and typed a few key strokes into the computer. He hands stilled as she read the screen.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait here,” she gestured toward the empty seats in the large waiting room. “That code blue was for her room. I’ll let you know when you can go in and see her.”

***

“Real smart, hot shot,” Caine Forsythe big back to Roanna as Carlos and his men held them all at gun point.

Roanna shrugged. “I never said I didn’t have a plan.”

Her mask had not concealed her identity from Caine as she hoped it would. She should have realized he wouldn’t be fooled.

For a second she contemplated her next move, but then she stared into the eyes of Carlos Santini.

“You didn’t happen to bring the calvary before you crashed through the window like Batgirl, did you? Quiet an impressive entrance, but I’m afraid your grand effort was for naught.”

He gestured to his men. “Tie them up. Then get Daddy Quentin ready for transport.”

“You won’t get away with this, Santini,” Caine said struggling with Carlos’ minions.

“I’m afraid I already have. You think we’re in this alone? This has nothing to do with me, although, getting closure with Daddy here will be a fringe benefit.”

Roanna struggled with her restraints but these men were not brain dead flunkies. She could see the intelligence lighting their eyes. There was indeed something going on here and she had a feeling kidnapping Quentin was only a small part of it.

“I’m sorry about this, but this is where we part company.” Carlos turned to his men. “Give them the serum.”

“Serum?” Roanna squeeked. “I’m not a big fan of needles, so I think I’ll pass.”

She didn’t have time for another snappy come back when someone from behind stuck her with an air needle. She pulled the tiny dart out of her neck as she felt her body start to become unresponsive. She quickly pressed a button on her belt.

She could feel her throat tightening. She struggled to fill her lungs with air but soon she passed out. Caine followed suit not long after.

“Leave them alone,” Quentin Forsythe said weakly.

“Don’t worry, old man. Their fate has been set. Nothing you can do about it now.”

***

Mila Ferguson glanced shyly over at Stone Jacobs. She could barely believe all that happened today. She’d been let go from her job in England. She’d flown to America gotten mugged and Stone had saved her. It was any girl’s dream to have the strong knight come to her rescue. But this was a little much The anxiety she’d thought she’d conquered in the past pounded in her head.

The car radio played The Wrecker’s song ‘Way Back Home’. She was surprised Stone listened to this type of music. Mila herself loved it. Stone had one of those new fangled satellite radios. She stretched out to touch one of the buttons. Stone reached for a button at the same time. Their fingers momentarily touched.

“If you don’t like it, I can change the station. This thing has like a hundred or more channels.”

“No, I like it,” Mila admitted. “It’s just that I haven’t seen a radio like that. Back home radio pretty much sounds like static set to a beat.”

Stone chuckled and a smile edged the corners of his mouth. “I remember those days, and I hated those days.”

“I agree,” Mila said straightening her sundress. “But musical static was better than crickets and birds. I mean, the latter does hold a certain appeal, I have to admit but there’s nothing like a good country song on a hot afternoon when you’re alone for the thirtieth day straight. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. Mrs. Ambrose was a good employer.”

“Mila, you’re babbling again. Do I make you nervous?” Stone reached one hand over and placed it atop Mila’s. He could feel her flinch.

She wanted to lie but her reaction spoke more than anything she could say.

“Maybe a little. You’re very mysterious and I truly know very little about you except for the few times you’re come to visit Mrs. Ambrose.”

“You thought I was there visiting Prudence? Your father and I have been friends for a long time and he asked me to look in on you every now and again. Prudence and Rayna are acquaintances of another colleague. There’s one thing you can bet the farm on, Mila. If you hadn’t been there. I wouldn’t have darkened their doorstep.”

***

“Diana? Diana, can you hear me?” Austin listened to her breathing and consulted her chart. “Have you taken a CT scan?”

“Yes, doctor,” said the nurse, running her finger down the clipboard.

The environment around them was bustling with activity. There was enough noise to drive a normal person insane. Austin seemed immune to it. He had a single-minded focus that most people would envy, but he took it for granted.

“Looks like there’s no broken bones. Does anyone know what happened to her?”

The nurse answered, “The EMT said the elevator at ForeCross plummeted a few floors. I’m not sure how many. She’s lucky to be alive.”

“Looks like she has a gash in her forehead. And she should be pretty sore for a month or two, but I think she’ll live.”

Diana’s hand snaked out and grabbed Austin’s coat. “You’ve got to help my brother, my father.”

“What’s wrong with your brother and father?”

“My father -- was -- kidnapped tonight,” she struggled to get the words out before a coughing fit emerged. “Call Dom.”

She was exhausted and slipped quickly into unconsciousness.

Austin grabbed a cell pone out of his pocket and dialed the police officer’s number. “Dom?” he said in a smug tone. “I have something you need to know.”

***

“What in the hell are you doing here?” Lucky said, leveling his gun at Piper Ferguson. “I thought you were out of the country becoming the next Martha Stewart.”

“Just got back into town,” Piper said.

“And you just found yourself in the middle of a kidnapping?”

“What can I say,” Piper smiled. “There are some things in your past you you can’t get away from.”

“Let me guess,” Lucky said, his exasperation growing. “Roanna’s stuck in the middle of this too.”

“Who do you think alerted me to the situation?”

“Perfect, just perfect. Exactly what I need is you two dancing around pretending to be the police. I thought you needed to get away from all this drama.”

Piper smiled. “What? And miss all the fun?”

Michela awoke to the bickering, her head throbbing. She crawled to a nearby doorway and disappeared behind it. Neither Lucky nor Piper saw her exit.

***

“I’m sorry, Mila. I shouldn’t have said that. I know dropping a bomb like that is too much too soon.” A vein in Stone’s jaw throbbed. He knew pushing her would only cause her to draw back into her shell.

“I want to stop being such a fraidy-cat. But I was so sheltered all my life. I don’t know how to be anything else.” Mila pulled her hand from under Stone’s. “I know you mean well, but I’m not ready yet. Can you understand?”

“Somehow I knew you were going to say that,” Stone admitted, but I was holding out hope that you’d be ready when I was.” He let out a slow breath. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re staying with me until you can find a place of your own.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

Stone parked the car in his driveway and circled around the car to open her car door.

“You’re not intruding,” he said.

“The offer is open ended. Both offers, actually. But for now why don’t we just go inside.”

Stone turned away, but, but Mila grabbed his hand. He gave her an intense look but paused for her to act in her own time. She pulled him into a hug.

“I promise I won’t take forever,” she whispered in his ear. “I love you for being willing to adjust to my needs. Thank you.”

A person lurked in the shadows watching Mila and Stone as they embraced. The shadow pounded on the fence post in anger. 

Episode 10: Uninvited Guests

Episode 10: 

UNINVITED GUESTS

In St. Louis, Faraday's House

"You got a job as a what?" Hope Faraday shook her head hoping she hadn't heard what she just thought she'd heard.

Glory giggled. "A tarot reader. Isn't it fabulous?" The middle Faraday sister looked as happy as a lark. "And anyway, it's not like it's a full time job. Half the time I'll be pouring lattes. It is after all the Gypsy Coffee Circus."

"That's where these crazy ideas have been coming from, right? Your new friends have convinced you that your sister's husband is a killer?"

"Maybe not a killer," Glory admitted. "But there is definitely something suspicious about him. I can just feel it in my bones."

"Your bones? Now your bones have feelings too? Lord help us all." Hope was now more skeptical than ever.

"Madam Dunlop said I had a gift. That I should listen to my instincts. That's all I'm doing."

"You're just listening to your instincts?"

Glory nodded.

Hope didn't know how to break the news to her sister. "Madam Dunlop has a gift too, I'm sure. A gift for bull crap!"

Glory was not dissuaded by Hope's negative attitude. "You should try listening to your instincts once in awhile. Maybe then you wouldn't be letting off all this hostile, negative energy."

She had had about enough of this. "Sure, Glory. Whatever you say." She put her hands to her head and hummed a few ‘oms'. "My instincts are telling me to leave Honor and Austin alone before one of them becomes suspicious.

The purple harem pants Glory was sporting looked out of place with the scoop necked green top. But that didn't stop Glory from sashaying into the next room.

"Well, you have your instincts and I have mine. We'll see who is more clairvoyant."

***

In London, Mila's cottage

Joe "Bluesman" James had been feeling more blue than ever lately. He had tried and tried to convince Mila not to run away from her problems, but that didn't seem to stop the young lass from packing her bags and giving him a goodbye speech.

"Now girl, I don't know if this is the right thing to do. You have a decent job here and people who love you." Joe had been trying to convince Mila for the last hour to stay in London and reconsider going home to America. "You don't want to ruin what you have here by running home to mama."

Mila had cried all the tears she wanted to shed. "I can't stay here any longer, Joe. Rayna's insults have only gotten more nasy even though I know Mrs. Ambrose asked her to be nicer to me. Working here is just not worth it any more. Mama said they had an opening at the Forsythe mansion. The maid ran off with her boyfriend to parts unknown. It's the perfect opportunity. Then I'd be able to see Mama and Piper all the time. I even hear my brother Gage lives in town now too."

"Now, missy, what am I going to do here without you? Who is gonna make up lyrics to my tunes and then help me sing when the song is done?"

"I'm sorry, Joe. I enjoy doing that with you so much. But I just can't live here any longer." Mila picked up her suitcase and dragged it to the doorway placing it along with the others. "I know this is the coward's way out. And maybe deep down, that's what I really am – a coward. Please don't think any less of me for doing this. Remember, I really do love you." She hugged the black man one last time, then ran for the door, beyond which the cab was waiting.

***

"That's it. She's gone. Now see what you've done? When Stone finds out how you've been tormenting and taunting her these last few weeks, he's bound to never speak to you again." Prudence steered her wheelchair toward the front room away from the foyer.

"Stone will never know. Who is going to tell him? Mila? That lame excuse for a girl wouldn't have the guts to tell him about me. After all, she is the one running away, is she not?" Rayna Ambrose smirked her best wicked grin of triumph.

"Do you not understand what this means? He only comes here to visit Mila, now that she's gone..." Prudence let her thought linger to make Rayna's brain kick into thinking mode.

Rayna quickly grasped the concept of Mila's retreat. "Oh, no!" she gasped. "What have I done?" She shook off the sudden self loathing and squared her shoulders. She wasn't going to let some scrawny Cinderella in ragamuffin clothes get the better of her!

***

Lucky Faraday couldn't believe what he was seeing. First, he watched Diana Forsythe and Piper Ferguson get into an elevator that could take them to their death. Then minutes later, while trying to prevent a tragedy, Lucky could have sworn he saw Michela out of the corner of his eye. A moment she was there, and then she was gone. Like a whisper in the wind.

He shook his head. That had to be his over active imagination. There was no way so many of his friends could be unfortunate enough to make a trip to ForeCross tonight.

He raced up the side stairs, taking the steps two by two. He had to stop Diana and Piper from getting captured by Carlos's men.

***

Diana rooted through her purse for the key card that would automatically open the doors to the executive suites in ForeCross's tower.

"Don't tell me I left that damn thing in the car again." Diana continued to peruse her belongings.

"What are you looking for?" Piper felt the small hairs on her neck stand on end. For a moment, she had the impression that someone was watching her.

Little did she know that Carlos Santini and his group of henchmen had control of the security cameras as well as the power to the elevators.

"Looks like we have a few uninvited guests, my love" Carlos smiled at Michela Forsythe. He turned to his men, "Please make sure our two guests don't disturb us tonight."

Diana and Piper didn't know what was happening when the lights turned out and the elevator abruptly stopped moving.

"Damn." Diana felt along the wall for the phone.

"What happened?" Piper asked.

"Looks like the power is out. Either that or the elevator is broken." She lifted the receiver to the emergency phone and received only silence. "Nothing. Phone is out too."

"Diana, you have to get me out of here." Piper's voice increased in intensity and fear. "I can't be stuck in this box!"

***

Lucky was halfway up to the third floor when he realized the elevator had stopped moving. He had been counting on the noise of the elevator to mask his movements. He now began to step quietly, not letting his foot falls echo down the stairwell.

As he neared the third floor, he could hear an angry commotion. The voice sounded familiar. He opened the door and discovered Carlos's men had placed both Quentin and Caine Forsythe in a windowless room under constant guard. Lucky wished he could call Harry and find out where that back up was, but he knew he was too exposed for such a conversation. He'd have to find another way to get them out of the building safely.

***

Piper felt the elevator start to slip. It was only maybe a fraction of an inch, but a fraction was a fraction.

"Did you feel that?" Piper cried. "We're going to fall."

Diana marched across the darkened elevator. "Cut it out! We're going to be just fine. I have my cell phone."

"You do?" Her voice and breathing quieted.

"Yes."

As Diana flipped the cell phone open, the dial tone, something that would normally go unnoticed, sounded ear piercing in the silent elevator. Before she could dial 911, the car slipped again, but this time it plunged toward the basement.

***

Austin McRae was tired of waiting. He had left Honor at home earlier tonight after learning that Diana was at ForeCross. He had to see her again. He was waiting outside ForeCross now for Diana to emerge.

He stomped the butt of his third cigarette with his foot. What was taking her so long?

Austin took a deep breath and weighed his options. Very soon now he would get what he wanted. He had already drained Honor's trust fund and spent all the insurance money he had acquired over the years. It was time for another death and a new score.

And he knew exactly who his next victim would be.

Diana Forsythe, daughter of multi-millionaire Quentin Forsythe. This was big money, bigger than he had ever gambled with before and the rush was thrilling.

Before he could contemplate further on his new life with Diana, the high-pitched whine of an ambulance pierced his ears. The emergency vehicle stopped in front of the ForeCross building.

It took only a minute for him to realize that one of the bodies lying on the paramedic's gurney was Diana Forsythe.

"No!" he cried. "You can't die now. It will ruin everything!"

***

The man lurking in shadows outside Honor McRae's house had received his instructions long ago. Kill Honor McRae. Tonight was the perfect time. It was a full moon. The wind whispered to him a haunting melody that only made him want to venture forward. Everything about the night was ripe with possibilities.

The little wife was vulnerable tonight. Her hubby had gone to play with his new conquest.

As he watched Honor walk the hallways of her house, he contemplated on how long he had wanted to kill her. It had been years ago. She had snubbed him once, but once had been enough to burn his anger brighter and brighter over the years.

Austin's plan was a perfect way for him to get retribution for past pain.

***

Honor McRae was scared. Since Austin had gone out, she had heard strange noises coming from outside. She had gone from her curiousness about the locked desk Austin would never let her touch to the fear slicing through her.

She didn't know what was wrong with her. Maybe it was Glory and her strange behavior tonight. Everything was making her jumpy.

Maybe a cup of tea would calm her down. She walked into the kitchen and found the back door open. The cold air gave the room a chill, and it inched up her fear factor two more notches.

"You're just imagining things that aren't there," she whispered to herself. The backdoor had a habit of coming open, but she could have sworn she'd locked it after Austin left.

Honor filled the teapot and drew a shaky breath. As she set it on the stove to heat, Mr. Fingers, her cat, scurried across her feet running toward the other side of the room. Her involuntary scream caused the cat to dart down the basement stairs.

"Oh, kitty. Don't go down there. It's too cold down there for baby kitty's." She called to him once more but it was no use. She had scared the poor thing out of its whits. She knew the feeling. She'd already done the same thing to herself.

As she reached for the light switch, she heard a movement behind her. At first she thought it only to be a draft from the basement, but the pressure on her shoulders convinced her otherwise. The unexpected shove pushed her off balance and Honor slipped down a few steps then tumbled down the rest, head over heel.

***

Stone Jacobs had been home from the airport less than three hours when he noticed and became suspicious of a figure lurking around the McRae house next door.

He wasn't Honor's biggest fan, but he did trust and admire her husband, Austin, especially after he saved Dom Martinez's life a few years back.

If the skulking figure made him suspicious, the scream that followed minutes later chilled his blood and threw him into action. He was never one to sit on the sidelines while others were in trouble. He didn't know what it was about protecting the innocent, but it was a rush he never tired of. It was probably one of the biggest reason's why he had come to work for the Knights Foundation as a rescue pilot.

Stone flew out of the house heading for the back door of the place next door. He was probably the only other person who knew about all the trouble the McRae's had had with their backdoor. That was why he went in that direction first.

A second scream and a horrible thudding had him forcing the door open. The intruder seemed to be waiting for him inside and swung a nearby coffee maker in Stone's direction. When he ducked that, the man body slammed him into the wall. He was momentarily winded, giving the assailant time to escape.

Stone thought about following him, but the horrible thudding made him think either Austin or Honor was in danger.

"Austin?" he shouted. "Honor?" He heard a moan coming from the stairwell to his left. Stone's body filled the doorway as he peered down the steep stairway. He could see a faint outline of a body sprawled at the bottom.

It was Honor.